Ankidroid additions related to Science, History and Philosophy. More information about Anki can be found in this article.
My Favourite Beethoven Piece
Piano Concerto No. 5 in E-flat major, Op. 73 Adagio Un Poco Mosso
I was finding it frustrating not remembering my favourite classical pieces. It’s a cinch to remember titles by contemporary music artists like Perri’s Jar of Hearts or Evergone, but a pain in the rump to remember the Van’s Piano Concerto No. 5 in E-flat major, Op. 73 Adagio Un Poco Mosso o Rachmaninov’s Piano Concerto No 2 Mov 2. I have this blog where I can write about them, but I’m not going to remember the titles unless I put them to memory using my Ankidroid.
I was listening to this sublime piece by the Van only yesterday. If Classical music doesn’t do it for you, then I beg you to just listen from 1.30 until 2.30. The transition between the sweeping Violin ensemble into the single finger piano playing is something to behold. Someone described listening to Beethoven ‘like never being alone’. I had the sensation that life couldn’t be more beautiful listening to this. I will never forget the name of this piano concerto.
The First Great Military Army in History
The Assyrian Army
The Assyrians were a warrior society and major ancient Mesopotamian (Modern Iraq) civilization and grew to become the greatest empire in the ancient world prior to the conquests of Alexander the Great and, after him, the Roman Empire. They were cruel and ruthless and existed between 1360 – 1070 BC. Eventually the Babylonians took them down in 612 BC.
LUCA
LUCA – Last Universal Common Ancestor
Cerca 3.8 billion years ago there existed the last common ancestor of all life. Single Cell organisms branching to Bacteria or Archaea (another microorganism) which then branch out to form Plantae, Animalia and Fungi. LUCA’s genes metabolized Hydrogen as a source of energy and survive in scorching acidic waters.
Researchers found in the 1970’s at the depths of 2km near the Galapagos Islands – hydrothermal vents (400-degree waters). Here the Bacteria or Archaea in this vent ecosystem converted the chemical energy from black smoke’s complement of minerals into biologically available energy – food. Elsewhere food chains ultimately came back to the sun’s energy – plants capture the sun’s light and convert it into sugars creating complex food chains.
On the ocean floor there is no sun, but the single cell organisms take hydrogen gas or iron sulphide and use them to power their own metabolisms. Animals eat them or enslave them in their bodies to produce energy unreliant on the sun. Conditions ideal for LUCA.
Our lineage may not have seen the sun for millions of years.
“The more I live, the more I learn. The more I learn, the more I realize, the less I know.”- Michel Legrand
Observation Blogger 
I have a far out question… very interesting… but would those conditions on the Galapagos Islands change wildlife in anyway?
I’m not a biologist Max and I say the following with lots of trepidation. My understanding is the discovery in the Galapagos Islands demonstrated that life could have first formed (from single cell organisms) in places without the Sun like what existed in the Hadean or post Hadean epoch. So as the article states at the end: ‘Our lineage may not have seen the sun for millions of years’.
Ok…the reason I ask is the wildlife there…some are really different. The tortises get huge and live to be over 100…probably nothing to do with it.
I have no idea how the single cell organisms originating from the Volcano vents may affect life there. Obviously, Charles Darwin was onto something when he visited the Islands. Why there? That’s curious in and of itself. People astute with his history and discoveries would know more about that than me.
Yea me also… I watch a lot of animal channels and that island comes up.
Yep, it does time and time again. Actually, the Islands are not far from here. The movie ‘Master and Commander’ with Russell Crowe and Australian director Peter Weir (The Truman Show and Dead Poets Society) opened many up to the importance of the Galapagos Is in the investigation of Biology and ‘natural selection’.
Oh ok…that makes sense. It started with me with the tortises…but they have many different species.